Admissions Criteria

The admissions profile for full admission to GOAL is as follows (all programs except Nursing):

Completion of the admissions application and receipt of official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended. The application fee of $25 is waived when the application is completed online.

At least 60 transferable semester hours in an academic curricular area from a regionally accredited institution approved by Gardner-Webb University for inclusion in the GOAL program. The maximum number of hours that can be transferred from a two-year institution is 64 and from a four-year institution is 96.

All transfer work completed at an accredited college and/or university will be considered for transfer at full value, assuming the courses are passed with a grade of “C” or better (2.00) provided they are comparable to Gardner-Webb University curriculum.

Completion of English 101 with a grade of “C” (2.00) or better.

Completion of specific prerequisite course work as required by the department of the chosen major. These prerequisite courses are listed under each major in the GOAL catalog.

GOAL ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES

The prospective student completes the admissions application (either online or a hard copy) and forwards it to the GOAL Admissions Office. Concurrently, the student requests official transcripts from all colleges previously attended to be sent to the GOAL Admissions Office.

Upon receipt of all the above information, the folder is forwarded to the Transcript Evaluation Officer of the University for analysis of transfer credits.

Upon completion of this analysis, the Assistant Vice President of GOAL Admissions determines student eligibility for the program based on admissions criteria. Any exceptions to the academic admissions criteria must be approved by the Assistant Provost for Adult and Continuing Education. Students may be fully accepted or accepted with stated conditions. The Assistant Vice President of GOAL Admissions will forward a letter of full acceptance, acceptance with conditions, or deferral to a future term, along with a copy of the transcript evaluation to the applicant.

The admissions counselor will make the pre-registration call to the student to discuss course delivery options, financial aid opportunities, tuition, method of payment, textbook purchases, the CMP 201 online proficiency course and any additional program questions.

The academic advisor is forwarded a copy of all materials for academic advising of the student. GOAL Academic Advising will notify the student of any missing prerequisites for full acceptance into an academic major.

Students may enter at the beginning of any semester or summer term. While there is no application deadline, typically two weeks are needed to process an application.

Classification as a “Special Student” allows an adult learner who does not wish to pursue a degree or wishes to take a class for transient credit (i.e. if pursuing a degree elsewhere) to enroll in a GOAL course or courses for credit, providing course level or major level prerequisites are met. There is no maximum number of hours which may be accumulated as a special student; however, if a degree is desired, official transcripts must be submitted for evaluation and an advisor assigned. Special students must submit an application for admission. Special students wishing to change their status to a student accepted in a degree program must follow the regular admissions process. Special students are not eligible for financial aid.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

In order to be considered for admission to Gardner-Webb University, international students must follow the procedure below:

Submit documentation of their ability to read and write the English language. They should do so by submitting results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Submission of TOEFL results must have a minimum score of 500 (paper), 173 (computer-based), or 61 (internet-based). Submission of IELTS results must have a minimum score of 5.0. They may take the SAT or ACT in lieu of the TOEFL or IELTS. Minimum requirements must be met in either case. Students who fail to meet the English language requirement may enroll at an ESL Center. Proficiency certification by ESL meets the English language requirement for admission.

Submit documentation of their ability to support themselves financially while in the United States.

Submit all transcripts of foreign college credits to World Education Services for evaluation before being mailed to Gardner-Webb. An application for a WES evaluation may be found at www.wes.org. WES may also be contacted by calling 1-800-937-3895. This must be done prior to enrollment at Gardner-Webb.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND CLEP CREDIT

Advanced Placement Program: Students achieving a minimum score of three on an Advanced Placement exam of the College Board will receive credit for the specific course covered by the test as determined by the appropriate academic department of the University. Students achieving a score of four or five may receive additional advanced credit. AP credits are not counted toward the senior college credit hour minimum (64).

College-Level Examination Program: Gardner-Webb accepts credit earned through the College Level Examination Program based on exams taken prior to, and through the end of, the student’s first semester of enrollment. CLEP credits are not counted toward the senior college credit hour minimum (64).

Gardner-Webb University grants credit to students submitting test scores from the College-Level Examination Program on the following basis:

General CLEP Guidelines:

Credit will be received on the same basis as transferred credit from accredited institutions of higher learning.

Credit will not be granted in an area for which the examinee has attempted or earned college credit.

Credit earned will be computed in the examinee’s academic record as “CR” which is hours credit only.

Unsatisfactory scores will not become part of the examinee’s academic record.

A CLEP test on any subject may be submitted only one time.

Students can only receive CLEP credit within their first semester.

The English Department will grant credit for English 101 (3 hours) to students who make a score of 60 or above on the English Composition with Essay CLEP test. The English Department will no longer accept the Freshman Composition with Essay CLEP test, which requires that the exam be sent to the department for evaluation. The essay portion of the English Composition with Essay test is graded by ETS employees. Students cannot CLEP out of English 102.

General Examination Guidelines:

The student must submit a score at or above the minimum score set by the American Council on Education listed for each examination.

The number of semester hours granted will be the total normally granted for the area covered by the test with the following restrictions:

A maximum of six semester hours of credit may be granted for each test.

A maximum of three semester hours credit may be granted on the basis of a sub-score, provided the area is appropriate.

Credit thus granted may be applied to the student's course of study only as basic courses or free electives.

Subject Examination Guidelines

The student must submit a score at or above the minimum score set by the American Council on Education listed for each examination.

The number of semester hours granted will be determined by the scope of the material measured as indicated by the American Council on Education.

Credit thus granted may be applied to the student's course of study without restriction.

A detailed list of AP and CLEP equivalencies is available online and may be accessed as follows:

Address: www.gardner-webb.edu

Click on: Academics

Choose: Registrar’s Office

Choose: Registration/Records

Click on: Transfer Credit

Click on: AP Credit or CLEP Credit

Access: Appropriate link within each text section

OTHER CREDIT

Armed Service-Related Programs: Veterans who have successfully completed a course or courses under the Service School training program or through USAFI may submit a record of courses completed for review by the Transcript Evaluator. Credit may be applied or subject waived, depending upon the discretion of the proper authority, and the appropriateness of the course in the student’s educational objective and program.

Servicemen’s Opportunity College: Gardner-Webb University actively seeks male and female students from among America’s past and present service corps. As a participating Servicemen’s Opportunity College, this institution offers a variety of educational opportunities to enable service personnel and veterans to learn skills necessary to their performance of duty, advancement, and future vocational growth.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA): Students have often had classes in the military service or through their work in which academic credit was not awarded, but the course work is comparable to some college courses. Students having documentation of prior learning experiences that align with specific courses may submit that documentation for evaluation and may possibly gain academic credit. The policies and procedures are set in the context of the Kolb model of adult learning and in conformity with standards of the Council for Adult Experiential Learning.

TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY

Students transferring from accredited two-year colleges may transfer up to 64 semester hours. An additional 64 semester hours must be taken on the senior college level, with the final 32 semester hours for graduation taken at Gardner-Webb.

Community college graduates with an Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences degree from a North Carolina Community College should see the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement in the General Studies Requirements section of this catalog. See Articulation Agreement, note 6 under Bachelor’s degree requirements. Students transferring from accredited four-year colleges may transfer up to 96 semester hours. For a bachelor’s degree, the final 32 semester hours for graduation must be taken at Gardner-Webb.

All transfer work completed at an accredited college and/or university will be considered for transfer at full value, assuming the courses are passed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better provided they are comparable to Gardner-Webb University curriculum. This work will be evaluated by the Registrar’s Office staff member charged with this responsibility.

Courses accepted as transfer credit are recorded with grades, grade points, and quality points. However, the grade point average for graduation is computed on academic credit earned at Gardner-Webb University.

TRANSFER CREDIT APPEAL FOR NON-REGIONALLY ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS

If a transfer student attended a school that is not regionally accredited, the student will need to follow the guidelines below in order for Gardner-Webb to consider the courses individually for transfer.

All courses reviewed for transfer must be related to general studies or the major subject area chosen by the student. There are currently two ways in which we can review these specific courses:

(1) If any course(s) has recommendation from an agency listed below, that recommendation will be used to aid in the evaluation. In the event the recommendation is vague or unsatisfactory, the Gardner-Webb faculty department chair for the subject area of the course being evaluated will be contacted for aid in determining the full appropriate credit to be granted. The agencies from which we accept recommendations are: American Council on Education, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

(2) For course work that does not have recommendations from the guides listed above, the student must complete the following procedural steps for each course he or she wished to have transferred:

a. Produce a syllabus for the course requested for transfer.

b. Request the academic institution previously attended to submit a record of credentials for the teaching faculty member(s) of each course requested for transfer (a catalog showing degrees earned, faculty vita, or a letter from the academic dean indication graduate level work and area of graduate work for the faculty member(s).

These credentials will be reviewed by the Associate Provosts’ Office for authenticity and credibility. Once approved, the Associate Provosts’ Office will contact the Registrar’s Office to permit review of the course syllabi for possible transfer of courses.

Courses accepted as transfer credit are recorded with grades, grade points, and quality points. However, the grade point average for graduation is computed on academic credit earned at Gardner-Webb. The Registrar interprets the transfer policy and certifies students for graduation.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The student’s general academic performance is indicated by a Grade Point Average. This figure is determined by dividing attempted semester hours into earned quality points. Two Grade Point Averages are significant for each student: the semester GPA and the cumulative GPA.

Both values are calculated on GWU academic work only.

Students must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to qualify for graduation.

READMISSION

Any student who withdraws from the GOAL program or does not register for any given fall or spring semester must apply for re-admission to the next scheduled term.

A current application for re-admission should be filed with the GOAL Admissions Office at least two weeks prior to the opening of the term in which a student wishes to resume studies at Gardner-Webb University. There is no fee for application for re-admission for previous GOAL students. Students who have been out more than 24 months must meet new curricular requirements and come in under a new catalog.

Students who leave Gardner-Webb University while on probation may request an evaluation of courses taken at other institutions after returning to Gardner-Webb University and having achieved good academic standing. Only the appropriate Associate Provost can grant the request. A request for evaluation may not be made for non-Gardner-Webb University courses taken the term immediately after being placed on probation.

While the student is on a one-semester or two-semester suspension from Gardner-Webb University, courses taken at other institutions during the suspension are not eligible for transfer. Once the student is readmitted to Gardner-Webb University and has achieved a status of good standing, the student may request an evaluation of any coursework taken outside of the suspension period. Only the appropriate Associate Provost may grant the request. A request for evaluation may not be made for non-Gardner-Webb University courses taken immediately after being placed on suspension.

Students on suspension or probation may attend summer study at Gardner-Webb University in order to improve academic standing.

A student must be in good standing and any university holds must be cleared before acceptance for readmission. These may include academic, business office or financial aid holds. An acceptance letter for re-admission is sent from the Assistant Vice President of GOAL Admissions.

ACADEMIC RENEWAL POLICY

The purpose of the academic renewal policy is to allow students who have done poorly during past enrollment at the University to start anew and have a chance to complete their undergraduate degree at the University.

To be eligible for academic renewal, a student must not have been enrolled at Gardner-Webb for the previous four years prior to applying for readmission. For students who have attempted more than 64 semester hours of work at Gardner-Webb, only the first 64 hours are eligible for academic renewal. All of the eligible hours must be considered; a student may not choose the hours to which this policy applies. Only Gardner-Webb credit hours are eligible for academic renewal. Coursework at another institution must be treated according to the current transfer credit policies.

Under this policy, all eligible Gardner-Webb University hours will be treated as transfer credit, i.e. grades of C or better will be given credit, but not counted in the Grade Point Average (GPA). Grades below C will not be counted as hours earned or in the GPA, with the exception of FX grades. FX grades will remain on the student’s records and counted in the GPA. All GWU semester hours approved for academic renewal will be treated as transfer credit for determining academic awards.

The GWU Readmission Committee will consider a student for academic renewal when reviewing an application for readmission. Any student, who applies for readmission and is eligible for academic renewal, may request consideration for such at that time. In addition, the readmission committee may recommend a student applying for readmission for academic renewal. If approved, the student will have the right to turn down academic renewal if it is not desired. All previous records at GWU will be considered during the readmission process, including academic and disciplinary actions. If a student is accepted for readmission, nothing in these records should preclude eligibility for academic renewal. Students may not apply for or be considered for academic renewal after they have been readmitted and have enrolled in their first course.

THE SECOND MAJOR

A student may elect to complete more than one major. To do this the student meets the requirements of a primary major plus 30 semester hours or more in a secondary field as approved by the departmental chair of the secondary major. No course may be counted in both majors. A student graduating with a double major receives only one degree, that of the primary major. However, the transcript denotes both primary and secondary majors. A transfer student must complete at least one half of the major(s) at Gardner-Webb.

SECOND BACCALAUREATE DEGREE POLICY

Students entering Gardner-Webb University with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university desiring to study in another field may complete their degree in the second field in the following manner:

taking all the courses required in that major field

taking any other courses required by the department of the major

taking a minimum of 32 hours of credit at Gardner-Webb

On successful completion of the work as outlined, the student will be awarded the degree from Gardner-Webb University.

A minimum Grade Point Average of 2.0 in a 4.0 scale based in the University grading system is required for graduation

DAY/GOAL STATUS CHANGE POLICY

Students who desires an immediate transfer into the GOAL program and who are in good academic standing, may under exceptional circumstances, appeal to the Readmission Review Committee. Special consideration will be given to students who wish to pursue a GOAL major not offered in the traditional program, as well as those who have relocated from the area and desire to pursue a distance program at Gardner-Webb University. Appeals will not be considered for students in the final 32 hours of their current program except in extreme circumstances. Students considering an appeal should contact the Advising Center for more information. Residential housing is not available to students in the GOAL program (with the exception of the School of Nursing’s RN to BSN program).

Additional information about the GOAL Program is located on the University website, www.gardner-webb.edu, under Degree Completion Program, or in the GOAL catalog. Or call 1-866-GWU-GOAL.